Congress of Secundomia
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The Congress of Secundomia was a tricameral legislature in the Republic of Secundomia with three houses: The Citizen's Council, House of Governors and the Cabinet. As a whole, the Congress of Secundomia was responsible for creating and passing legislation within the Republic. Since the establishment of a constitution in March 2010, the Congressional body was the main legislative force in the country. The presence of a strong executive with power to appoint a cabinet, as well as Presidential veto power heavily limited the control of the Congress. Secundomian citizenry did not very actively participate in legislative politics, more focusing on the office of the president.
Description
Citizen's Council
The Citizen's Council was the lowest house of the Secundomian Congress. The Citizen's Council had the power to propose and vote on legislation. The President could also propose legislation to the Citizen's Council for approval. The Citizen's Council was meant to proportionally represent the whole nation of Secundomia. 3 citizens were elected during election cycles and candidates often ran for both Council and Presidential offices simultaneously. However, the President-elect was barred from accepting membership on the Council itself. If fewer than 3 members were elected or eligible, the Citizen's Council was dissolved for the term and the House of Governors was made the lowest house in the Secundomian Congress.
First Council (April 2010)
The First Council was elected after the ratification of the Secundomian Constitution by Spencer I in March 2010. Elections were held, and the Council took office in April. 4 candidates were eligible, however, Parker I had to decline his elected position as he was also elected President. This meant that all 3 candidates, Spencer I and Luke of the Secundomian Conservative Party and Seth I of the Secundomian Liberal Party took office.
The Citizens Council was somewhat active in April, however it took a blow when Seth left the country during the Cabinet Crisis. The Council was therefore dissolved for the term in mid-April. Additionally, only two candidates filed to run in the subsequent elections, so it remained dissolved under the new government.
Second Council (October-December 2010)
Due to declining participation and limited citizen interest especially in the Citizen's Council position, Parker suggested during the September 2010 elections that the top 3 vote getters in the Presidential race would be a part of the Citizen's Council. This resulted in a council taking office in October of Spencer I, Luke and Parker I (who remained president). As Spencer had split from the Conservative party to form the Libertarian Party, the Second Council again had a multi-party makeup. However, due to local election results, this council was identical to the makeup of the House of Governors, making it superfluous. The Citizens Council was dissolved again, for a final time, after low participation in the 2011 Secundomian Elections.
House of Governors
The House of Governors was the middle house of the Secundomian Legislature. The House was made up of a single representative from each state, elected locally. As many Secundomians lead single-citizen states, this house was often the largest, yet most inactive. In mid-2010, several states were downsized due to electoral inactivity, which largely reduced the size of the House. House members could propose legislation, but it would have to pass through the Citizen's Council prior to a vote in the House of Governors.
Cabinet
The Cabinet was the upper house of the Secundomian legislature. Every member was directly appointed by the president. Members of the Cabinet had a final say over any legislation passed through the lower houses. In addition to Presidential Veto Power, the Cabinet was a large check on the legislative power of the Congress. Membership of the Cabinet was less limited, and could fluctuate in size depending on the appointment of the President. The President also had power to remove Cabinet members. Cabinet membership was highly contentious and resulted in significant upheaval during the Cabinet Crisis.